* For example, POITRA created and maintained the public information websites for the Southeast Corridor MIS (TREX), the North Metro Major Investment Study (MIS) and the US36 Corridor MIS beginning in 1998. The North Metro Corridor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is part of the Regional Transportation District's (RTD) new FasTracks Project, which is advancing several corridors to the design phase.

The North Metro Corridor is one of several proposed transit corridors in the Denver Regional Transportation District's (RTD) FasTracks program that have been evaluated throughout the Metro area as Environmental Impact Statements (EIS). Most of the corridors originate in downtown Denver's Union Terminal (DUT) and radiate out to the suburbs. POITRA has provided several types of services on nearly all of these corridors at some point in their long histories.*

The North Metro Corridor takes advantage of abandoned or little used frieght rail corridors that served Denver's northern suburbs. Because of the length of the line and possible interaction with commercial freight rail a heavy commuter rail concept was proposed. Both Electric Multiple Units (EMU) and Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) were evaluated.

As part of the NEPA 4f evaluation some neighborhoods older than fifty years and in close proximity to the existing freight right-of-way and the proposed North Metro Mainline needed to be evaluated. The corridor passes one such neighborhood at 112th Avenue.

POITRA artists created custom 3D models of the DMU and EMU commuter vehicles. Potential RTD colors and marking combinations were developed uniquely for both by POITRA.

This view selected from POITRA survey photographs compared the effects of sound wall verses no wall and also height differences between EMU and DMU sound walls in the context of a 4f significant neighborhood.

POITRA artists prepared the base photograph to recieve the elements of the proposed corridor using traditional digital painting techniques.

Poitra provided expertly-done photo simulations, and sometimes
under tight time constraints, which were instrumental in conveying project concepts to our audiences. ”

M.T., RTD
East Corridor Planning Project Manager

DMU and EMU vehicles have different environmental characteristics. EMU vehicles require additional hardware such as an overhead catenary system and a tall pentagraph mounted to the top of the vehicle which add to the visual concern. DMU vehicles are louder and the noise source is located higher on the vehicle, which translates to taller sound barriers when barriers are needed. This simulation needed to reflect all of these variations including images without the POITRA model transit vehicles to show the corridor as it is the majority of the day.

POITRA created a 3D model that included EMU and DMU sized sound barriers, the EMU catenary system and both types of vehicles. The model was camera matched, lighted, rendered and composited with the photograph to create final photo-simulations.

A simulation was created for each of the four situations to be studied.

The finished simulations were used in meetings with Fastracks public stakeholders, on the project website, in newsletters and in the EIS document.